Health Promotion Activities

MUMPS

Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection of the salivary glands (primarily the parotid glands). It causes fever, headache, and swelling of the glands around the jaw. This best-known sign, swelling of the glands on one or both sides of the face, is the reason that mumps received its name. Occasionally it can cause more serious complications including meningitis, encephalitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, inflammation of the pancreas, permanent hearing loss, and possibly miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Although it is primarily transmitted via coughing and sneezing, mumps may also be transmitted through contact with surfaces contaminated with mucosal secretions. Symptoms typically appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but may appear as soon as 12 days and as long as 25 days afterwards. Infected individuals are contagious up to 3 days before they are symptomatic and continue to be contagious for up to 9 days after showing signs and symptoms. There is no known treatment for mumps beyond supportive care.

The current mumps strain has been identified as genotype G, the same genotype circulating in a similar outbreak in the United Kingdom. The outbreak in the U.K. has been ongoing since 2004, and has involved more than 70,000 cases. The G genotype is not an unusual or rare genotype, and it has been circulating globally for decades or longer. While mumps is normally rare in the U.S., we should be aware that there is the potential for this disease to continue to spread locally through normal human interaction and nationally through air travel.

Cases of mumps involving vaccinated individuals can be attributed to many factors. When a highly vaccinated population is exposed to disease, most cases of disease would be expected to include vaccinated individuals. Even recently vaccinated individuals remain susceptible to infection because it takes 2 to 4 weeks for the newly administered vaccine to provide immunity. Most importantly, no vaccine is 100% effective. Nonetheless, it should be stressed that vaccination for mumps significantly limits the risk of becoming infected with the current genotype G strain and remains an essential step in personal protection.

Since mumps is contagious, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of mumps infection: fever, headache, and swelling of the glands around the jaw.

The principal strategy to prevent mumps is vaccination. Mumps can generally be prevented by receiving the MMR vaccine, which is considered to be 90% effective with the recommended 2-dose regimen. In the U.S., health officials recommend that individuals receive 2 mumps vaccinations, the first at 12 to 15 months of age and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. After reviewing their personal health records, individuals should either confirm that they have already received both vaccinations in childhood or make arrangements to get vaccinated as adults (if they are not currently pregnant). Of note, it takes about 2 to 4 weeks after vaccine administration for adequate protective immunity to develop. The duration of the vaccine-induced immunity has been established to be greater than 25 years, and probably life-long in most vaccine recipients.

Avoid close contact with individuals who have mumps-type symptoms, particularly if there is a history of recent travel by that individual to the affected Midwest states. These potentially infected individuals should be considered contagious for 9 days following symptom onset.

For more information, see http://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/mumps/default.htm.